St Annes vs Haslingden Hawks

From the start, Eve Hadley went in goal with Dixie Thirde and Sienna Limbert in defence. Zoe Green and Phoebe Williams went in midfield with Poppy Millard and Daisy Halewood upfront. Izzy Dunne, Alex Wilkinson, Fern Ashworth and Emily Blackburn started the game as subs.

It was over to the coast for this week’s away game at St Anne’s. It was a milder day than expected as the girls waited for kick off.

St Anne’s started the game the better side and attacked from the first ball. They were rewarded for their efforts very early in the game and shown they were both organised and strong throughout the team.

Haslingden Hawks didn’t drop their heads and had a lot of attacking play in the first half. Thirde provided another strong defensive performance and Limbert and Millard had their chances on goal. Dunne, Wilkinson, Ashworth, and Blackburn all joined the game and St Anne’s continued to push on. Ashworth and Wilkinson had some great chances in the game and it felt like the Hawks had done everything but score; the ball just wouldn’t go in.

The Hawks started the second half very strong and were growing in confidence as the game went on. Hadley pulled off several great saves to keep the Hawks in the game and Green and Williams were strong in midfield. Ashworth got the Hawks back in the game just after the start of the second half, but St Anne’s continued to be the stronger team and managed to put more distance between the teams shortly after.

The Hawks did continue to improve in to the second half and Dunne and Blackburn provided great support to the team to try and get back in to the game. It just wasn’t going to happen for the Hawks as the game went on and, as much as they tried, the goals were not going in. They were given a tough game by St Anne’s, but the Hawks didn’t disappoint the spectators; they were strong and never dropped in enthusiasm. Some good areas to work on in training.

All in all, a disappointing result, but a great game of football. Limbert was awarded Man of the Match for her fantastic efforts up and down the pitch and throughout the game. Back home for next weekend’s game as the girls regroup and work towards their next challenge.

Written by Kitty Millard